Divisadero Street, San Francisco’s busy central thoroughfare that was once dotted with check-cashing joints and decrepit laundromats, has undergone a transformation.

Openings this month will bring the next wave of businesses drawing liviely crowds on nights and weekends with Wine Kitchen, from Commonwealth and Spruce veterans Greg Faucette and Jason Limburg, and the Mill, Four Barrel Coffee’s collaboration with Josey Baker Bread. Bi-Rite Market’s second outpost is slated to open in the spring, and the Barrel Head Brewhouse, which just signed a lease at 1785 Fulton St., is aiming to open before the end of the year.

Retailers Rare Device and San Franpsyco recently opened, contributing to the explosive popularity of the corridor fueled by Nopa, MiniBar, Little Star Pizza, Regazza, Mojo Bicycle Café, the Independent, and several other newer businesses.

“This neighborhood is no longer a hub for check cashing and doing the weekly laundry loads,” said Mollie Poe of Pacific Union Real Estate, a resident who has done multiple deals in the area.

Once deemed part of the Western Addition, the street is now considered the main drag of the up-and-coming North of the Panhandle neighborhood. Rebranded as NoPa a few years back, the area is flourishing, as rents have been rising and retail options have multiplied on every side of the street over the past year.

“It’s still in its early days, but the interest in the area is enormous and developers are really keen on cultivating it,” said CGI Retail’s Carol Gilbert. “It’s increasingly on the bar and restaurant radar. And new businesses are doing really well.”